The present invention pertains to an internal combustion engine comprising a drive connection for auxiliary equipment including a step-down gear and wherein a pump impeller of a coolant pump and a pump wheel of a lubricating oil gear pump are situated on a common shaft.
An internal combustion engine of this type is disclosed in German Offenlegungsschrift No. 29 22 695. In such an internal combustion engine the lubricating oil gear pump is driven via a step-down gear of a secondary drive shaft which rotates at the crankshaft rpm. The larger gear wheel of the step-down gear is located on the common shaft of the pumps which supports the driving pump wheel of the lubricating oil gear pump and the impeller of the coolant pump. The step-down gear requires friction and takes up space in the housing of the internal combustion engine, as well as increasing the manufacturing cost. Because of the pump's power behavior, the coolant pump is operated in most cases at a lower rpm than the crankshaft.